Andre Jacque may be using his state campaign fund to help out with his congressional race

WASHINGTON – As Andre Jacque struggles to gain fundraising steam in his northeastern Wisconsin congressional primary race, he appears to be turning to his old state Senate campaign coffers for help.

Campaign finance records show that, beginning in March, Jacque, a Republican state senator from De Pere, doled out $23,500 from his state Senate campaign account to friends, family and fellow lawmakers, who then donated that amount and more — a total of $30,741 — to his federal congressional campaign.

Jacque's campaign also gave $15,000 to Jacque personally, part of it as a loan repayment and the rest a refund of a 2018 contribution. He then lent his federal account $16,000.

These dollars represent a significant chunk of the $219,874 he has raised so far in the federal race. Jacque significantly trails fellow Republicans Tony Wied and Roger Roth in fundraising for the 8th Congressional District, with both Wied and Roth collecting more than three times as much cash as Jacque.

The GOP primary is Aug. 13.

Jacque's fund transfers questioned by GOP candidates Roth and Wied

On the surface, the transfers in and out of Jacque's campaign accounts look odd. Both Roth and Wied have attacked the maneuver as “suspicious” and a “dirty” political trick. WisPolitics first reported on the occurrence.

Federal election law prohibits candidates from transferring funds directly from their state campaign accounts to their federal campaign accounts. Candidates can, however, refund leftover funds from their state accounts and coordinate with donors to make a contribution to their federal accounts, according to the Federal Election Commission.

In a statement, Jacque dismissed the criticism, saying he has a longstanding tradition of giving to like-minded conservatives in the Legislature.

"My colleagues and I have always operated with transparency and integrity," Jacque said. "Any suggestion that these contributions were meant to be reciprocated is entirely false and tarnishes the reputation of dedicated conservative lawmakers."

In Jacque’s case, seven state legislators received $6,500 from Jacque's Senate account in March and April, and in most cases, these lawmakers donated a similar amount to Jacque’s federal campaign just days or weeks later.

For instance, the campaign fund for state Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R-Menomonee Falls) gave $1,000 to Jacque's Senate account in November 2023. In mid-March, Jacque's fund then gave the same amount to Brandtjen's committee, which then gave $1,000 to Jacque's congressional campaign 10 days later.

But not all of the donations appear to line up as direct refunds.

State Rep. Chuck Wichgers (R-Muskego) never gave to Jacque's state Senate campaign in the past, records show, but Wichgers' Assembly fund received $1,000 from Jacques state account in mid-March. Two weeks later, Wichgers gave the same sum to Jacque’s federal campaign.

“That’s very confusing to me because that never took place,” Wichgers said when asked whether he spoke with Jacque about transferring funds from the state account to the federal account. “The answer is no.”

“There was no conversation,” Wichgers added, later saying: “He’s in a pretty good primary battle and finances are important and I had enough in my account, and I wrote him a check. It was in my account. I had it.”

Asked if he had indeed donated to Jacque at the state level, Wichgers replied: “How would I know? I’ve been doing this for eight years. You want me to answer something that — eight years?”

Similarly, state Rep. Ty Bodden (R-Stockbridge) had given only $25 to Jacque in the past. But in late March, Jacque gave $1,000 to Bodden's campaign account, which then gave $1,000 to Jacque's federal fund three days later.

Bodden says fund campaign fund exchanges are common

In an interview, Bodden said he can't remember if Jacque or he decided to give to the other first. He said it just worked out that Jacque gave him money and then he decided to donate the same amount to Jacque's congressional account.

Such exchanges, Bodden said, are common among lawmakers and between PACs and candidates.

"It just worked out we can support each other and show that we have support," said Bodden, who decided in May not to seek re-election. "We've endorsed each other, and I ended up dropping out, obviously, but yeah, it's as simple as that."

The same pattern appears with donations from other lawmakers.

State Rep. Elijah Behnke (R-Oconto) gave Jacque's state account just $200 in 2022. Then Jacque's state fund gave Behnke $1,000 on March 17 this year, and Behnke’s committee donated the same sum to Jacque’s congressional race eight days later.

And state Rep. Scott Allen (R-Waukesha) gave Jacque's state fund $200 in July 2018 but received $500 from Jacque on April 18. On June 30, Allen gave Jacque's congressional campaign $500 out of his own pocket.

Jacque's state campaign payments to himself this year — one marked as a “return receipt” and the other marked “loan payment” — match past loans to his state Senate campaign. He gave his state campaign $8,500 on Jan. 2, 2018, and lent his campaign $6,500 on March 1, 2018.

Friends and family members received money and then made contributions

Likewise, there were several transfers to friends and family members.

Jacque's state campaign, for instance, made two payments totaling $2,250 each to his mother Mary Jacque, who then donated the maximum $3,300 to Jacque's federal campaign two weeks later. Mary Jacque had given a total of $2,984 to her son's state fund over the years.

Also, Green Bay resident Jeff Kennedy had given four donations for a total of $3,000 to Jacque, who paid Kennedy back that amount on March 22. Kennedy then gave a little more than $1,000 to Jacque's federal race.

The transfers come as Jacque trails both Roth and Wied in fundraising by a wide margin.

To date, Jacque has raised $219,874, including his $16,000 loan, and has $130,614 in cash on hand.

Roth, meanwhile, has raised $711,686 as of the end of June and has $562,737 in cash on hand. And Wied has raised $813,327 — $500,000 of which he lent himself — and ended last month with $672,101 in his war chest.

Both Roth and Wied this month sought to cast Jacque's recent campaign transfers as shady.

"If a candidate is moving money between entities and skirting contribution limits," Roth campaign manager Michael Donatello said, "it should be looked into, and it’s certainly suspicious."

"No political trick is too dirty for Andre Jacque and his team of Never Trumpers," Wied campaign manager Aidan Strongreen said. “Jacque is exactly the type of sleazy career politician Wisconsin voters will reject on August 13."

Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 313-6684 or [email protected]. Follow him on X at @DanielBice or on Facebook at fb.me/daniel.bice.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Andre Jacque may be using his state fund to help in congressional race